"Darling, I've been looking at the Ebay type coops and they look SOOOOOOO trashy and chavvy... is there a way... in your EXPERT landscape view... that we could have a coop that didn't look so coop like?...you know.. like a nice, painted, pretty shed..?... by the way.. I think tonight is a b*** j** night isn't it?"

I've got to agree with mama owl, a bit pricey for the coop, nest box optional extra? What's that about? Err hens lay eggs what's the point of a chicken coop without a nest box? But it looks sturdy enough and they have got the roofing right for a change. It's looks better than some I've seen. Do you want it for LF or bantams? It holds 4/5 birds what size?

This coop looks fine for 3 or 4 chicken. If you don't raise it up rats could take up residence underneath. I don't know if you intend to move your house around but I put my chicken houses on pallets and attach industrial casters so that I can move them easily so I don't keep them in the same place. The hens also like sheltering under the houses (from rain and sun) and dig out dustbaths under them as well. I have 2 runs adjacent to each other and move the hens and their houses from one run to the other every two or three weeks or when necessary.

To be honest, I have seen coops far more expensive than that and not so sturdy looking. I don't understand the external box thing either but there you go. I may find something else in my travels. He still prefers the cheaper ones so I may still go elsewhere. I actually am getting fed up with not finding anything in the price range. I would be happy to knock something up but he says he doesn't have the patience for it. He fails to hear the word "I".

He sounds a lot like my o/h " glass half empty"!! I usually go so far with him then shut up for a while then he comes in from work and the jobs done!! Quote... "it just happened, I had the opportunity so......" what my hubby likes is a bargain a good price, I elaborate on that.... if only he new

Seems this is a duck house or chicken coop so the nest box is an optional extra. Again found loads of places that do it, some more expensive than others. Says it takes 4-5 standard hens, some places say 6.

OP, if your OH is looking for aesthetics, why not go down the road of a converted Wendy house? We have 3 and they have proved very attractive and adaptable for the hens. True, we did have to make pop holes and perches, but the outcome has been wonderful. And, they've tweaked our creative juices! There are so many different sizes and shapes, there's bound to be something that would suit hubby's, and your, fancy. I'll try and post a few pictures. If you go on ebay and search for Wendy house or children's playhouse, there are no end of choices. We went with wood. I think plastic would be too cold in the winter.

Forgot to mention, we made indoor nest boxes for our larger houses, and had an exterior next box attached to the smaller house. Your builder friend could do it for you in no time.

**BREAKTHROUGH** Saw the Pets at Home advert with all the pets including a chook. I said I had forgotten some sell coops and he said "I have had rabbit hutches from there that fall apart in a couple of months. Cheap foreign rubbish".

Cons: Only 6ft sq. space but 9ft sq with nest box. No images of the inside and when I emailed them they said they had no inside images and no offer to send any, which on eBay is weird. Pop hole side slide. Requires pop hole bolt.

This has taken hours of searching the net beyond the first few pages on Google. I am quite taken with the Swinford Pen and think it is probably worth the money. Himself has taken this on board and accepts around £200 is going to get a decent house which is reasonably made.

I have decided the best way to go about things is to sell some stuff and buy some weld mesh wire myself. Even if the run is just double thickness chicken wire, if I have enough weld mesh wire to go even 3ft up the sides, this will offer more protection and he will not have paid for it. I am going to use my dog's plastic carry case with, as somebody mentioned, broken bricks in initially, as the sin bin. I may venture into making one in due course.

I now have my Haynes Chicken manual. Very interesting read but also adds to Himself's reading material. He trust's Haynes from our car fixing days!

Went to see my friend the other day who have a Light Sussex, a Bluebell, (or variant thereof), and a Quail. Along with bunnies and guinea pigs all living in the same area lol. Anyhoo, she mentioned the Light Sussex produced better eggs than the Bluebelle. Don't know if that is a general thing or just down to the individual bird.